Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an acoustic ceiling deck that is tunable to achieve a desired sound effect in a room.
Description of Related Art
The construction of convention centers, arenas, office buildings, and other major structures normally uses deck panels assembled in a side-by-side and/or end-to-end relationship to facilitate the construction of the structure interior. Acoustic ceiling decks have been in existence for more than 50 years. These decks reduce the reverberation of sound time in a building and the measurement method is known as a noise reduction coefficient (NRC). The NRC has a theoretical scale of 0 to 1, which is well known in the art. Specular ratings are a relatively new science, where the initial specular reflection is measured on a scale of 0 to 1 where 0 is a perfect absorber and 1 is a perfect reflector.
MBI Products Company, Inc, makes Lapendary® Panels, which are large acoustical panels hung in a loose fashion or installed flush to the roof deck. The Lapendary® Panels reduce reverberation time and sound intensity levels in harsh acoustic environments. This arrangement uses a sound absorbing element encased in fabric or polyvinylchloride (PVC) for sound control.
Epic Metals Corporation developed a product known as Envista® Specular Deck (hereinafter “Envista®”) (see U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,146,920 and 7,328,667, as well as U.S. Design Pat. No. D552,765). The Envista® design provides an excellent NRC of 0.90 and a specular rating of 0.32. This is accomplished by optimizing the deck based on sound absorption area, resonator (volume and orifice), and diffusion and reflection by profile design.